Hyundai and Kia recall 1.6 million vehicles

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Hyundai and Kia recall 1.6 million vehicles

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Kia and Hyundai, Korean sister auto companies, said Wednesday that they are recalling over 1.6 million vehicles. The cars, it seems, share a defect in their brake lamps.

The brake lamp problem is compounded because it sends incorrect signals to the cars’ electronic brains.

Various vehicle systems rely on signals from the brake lamp to detect when the brakes are, or are not, being applied. Bad signals can cause the gear selector to become stuck in “park.” They can also sporadically render the push-button engine start feature useless and create intermittent interference with the cars’ cruise control systems.

Hyundai had recalled cars in 2009 for the same problem. In that recall, Hyundai and Kia dealers replaced brake light switches in the cars involved and also changed the brake lights being installed on assembly lines.

Nevertheless, Transport Canada, Canada’s auto safety regulator, recently received nine complaints of the same trouble in vehicles produced later than those involved in the 2009 recall.